Friday, January 30, 2004
Finally!
The other day, I was shopping for games for my Game Boy Advance when I came across a used Super Mario All-stars. For those of you not familiar w/ it, what it is is Super Mario Bros. 1, 2 & 3 all crammed into one SNES cartridge. When I saw it I said to myself, I said: "Brian, it's high time you finally finished Super Mario Bros. 2." You see, SMB2 has always been my bane of the SMB line of games. All the other one's I've played (SMB 1, 3, and Super Mario World), I never had any problems completing, but SMB2 always got the better of me. It was that damned ice world and that damned slippery ice! But now, after 15 long years, I can finally say that I have beaten Super Mario Bros. 2! Granted, I had to warp out 1/2 way thru the ice world, but nonetheless, no more shall it be my bane of Super Mario gaming.
BTW, anyone else around here own a Game Boy Advance?
Thursday, January 29, 2004
*sniff, sniff* angee.... i miss you already.... :(
thanx, girls... you're all sweeties! :) i'm doing better. much better. and KELLY YU!!!! omg - we haven't talked in yrs!! call me!!!
yesterday was quite the day for good news!! :O i think it's starting to all come together. funny how it works... when i find out about one thing, the other things all happen too - haiti and job interview. :) yay. we'll see what happens in the next little while. i've got some work at yee hong to do too!!
sorry, i could write more but it's 11 am and i am awake... can't waste this beautiful sunny day - i better go watch GG!! hahaha.
Thursday, January 22, 2004
I feel stuck.
Stuck in my parents’ house.
Very much dependent, longing to be independent.
Stuck without a car, without a job, without a hope, without a kitchen…
Stuck in uncertainties.
Don’t know how long I’ll be around for, don’t know how long I can work for, don’t even know if Haiti is a go or if I’m just fooling myself.
Stuck doing church stuff… no more joy. Just hours of work and being overwhelmed and frustrated.
Stuck in a rut.
Insomnia, night owl, unproductiveness, time consumed, working at a snail’s pace, overwhelmed-ness, paralyzed.
So much time and yet, not enough time.
Stuck with a masters.
Looking for jobs doing clerical work.
Stuck with no one to talk to.
Except everyone who reads this blog.
Stuck in a strange mix of emotions.
Frustration, anger, hopelessness, loneliness. Stuck.
Unable to express myself…
i am a strange mix of emotions. [sigh]
Sunday, January 18, 2004
your ways are higher than my ways, your thoughts higher than my thoughts
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up...
To more than I can be
i really like this josh groban song. when i first told shannon to listen to it, she asked me if it was a christian song. it's not (as far as i know), but that made me realize that it could be. and now i love this song not only cuz of it's big orchestral full sound, but also cuz of the strength and hope of its lyrics.
tonight i was really discouraged. i wanted to give up, to stop praying. my prayers didn't seem to matter, nothing i did or said seemed to change anything. but after talking to amy, i realized that with God, things are different. just when the world would say - give up, don't waste your time, your energy, your love, God says - keep going, keep persevering, keep praying, i will work in my own time - just be faithful in prayer, patient in love. things will change when i am ready.... when he is ready.
and so i continue. to pray, to encourage, to care. and just as i ask for God to change my friend, so God changes me through my prayers for him. how ironically He works... how mysterious, how wonderful.
more domestic tips
angee and i have been sharing lotsa domestic tips lately... we're quickly becoming like our mothers. :O
anyhow, here's a new cleaning product i saw on tv tonight. the mr clean magic eraser!!
The new Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is an innovative cleaning material that penetrates surface grooves where dirt and grime get trapped. It easily and thoroughly breaks up tough dirt, lifting it away from surfaces. And, it does all this with just water alone. It is simple and easy to use—no need to add chemicals or solvents.
it looks like a sponge and you just use water and scrub. it wears away after use - just like an eraser!! isn't that cool?? go to their website and get yourself a free sample!! :D
Saturday, January 17, 2004
PSA - nutrition confusion
many of you have probably heard about the recent study results released on toxins found in farmed salmon. and are wondering - what now? i can't even eat fish anymore? what do i eat?
well, here's an article in the globe that puts things in perspective. i completely agree with what they have to say. often the media takes one study and blows it out of proporition, so it's important to take everything in context.
btw, ppl sometimes ask me if there are books i would recommend on healthy eating. well, i was at walmart last night and found leslie beck's book "10 steps to healthy eating". she's a well known toronto private practice dietitian with an office in the dt biz district. i flipped thru the book quickly and found it reliable and thorough. she's even got a blurb on the whole toxins in farmed fish deal. anyhow, there's a plug for her. :)
but if you don't feel like reading, my #1 advice for eating better is make sure you get 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day! the more the better. most ppl don't get even 5. what's a serving? a medium sized fruit or veg, 1/2 cup of fresh/frozen/canned veg, 1 cup of salad, or 1/2 cup of juice (real fruit juice, that is! none of that drink/cocktail stuff). check canada's guide to healthy eating if you're interested!
listening to josh groban inspires me. :D
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
hey kiddo - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! i wish you a great day and a great year... with grad and the beginnings of a new stage of life. i hope the dark clouds part soon... and that one day you WILL see the light. :) that is everlasting. thanx for being a listening ear and bringing out my positivism. ;) keep up the health consciousness and label reading~! all the best! love ya lots. :)
ps. i started photo organizing and i CAN'T STOP!!!
Monday, January 12, 2004
fyi
-- Everything is Political Workshop Series --
THE INGENUITY GAP: MAKING SPLIT-SECOND DECISIONS THAT CHANGE THE WORLD
Is our world becoming too complex and too fast-paced to manage? The challenges facing human societies -- from international financial crises and global climate change to pandemics of tuberculosis and AIDS -- converge, intertwine, and often remained largely beyond our understanding. Most of us suspect that the "experts" don't really know what's going on and that as a species we have released forces that are neither managed nor manageable. This is "the ingenuity gap" -- the critical gap between our need for practical and innovative ideas to solve complex problems and our actual supply of those ideas.
Professor Thomas Homer-Dixon explains further this ...
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15th, 2004
4:10 PM
Music Room, Second Floor, Hart House
-- Reception to Follow --
www.everythingispolitical.ca
doesn't that sound intriguing?? who wants to come?? :)
i had a really great day today. :) hanging out with all of you guys put a smile on my face. you know who you are!!
now i have a couple questions.
1. temptation. pride?
when a temptation enters your mind, you have not yet sinned. what you do with that thought is what counts. so lots of tempting thoughts may enter your mind each day, but if you don't dwell on them, if you push them aside and decide to dwell on more godly thoughts, then you have been successful in avoiding temptation and not sinning.
now my question is - does pride work the same way? when a prideful thought enters your mind, you can dwell on it, or you can brush it aside. when a prideful thought enters your mind, is that already an act of sin? i remember reading once about someone who said to cs lewis - sir, have you any idea how popular your books are and how successful you have become? in reply, cs lewis said - one cannot be careful enough NOT to think of it!
i wonder if prideful thoughts are used by satan in the same way that temptations sometimes are placed in our lives by him. if i keep brushing them away, is that the way to deal with them? i have not found that that decreases them any more. but are they supposed to decrease? will they ever stop? through sanctification, becoming more like jesus, will humble thoughts increase and prideful thoughts diminish? you'd think so. but how?
2. does any of you out there have the gift of discipleship? (other than jon)
Saturday, January 10, 2004
i'm breaking the silence to wish wongs a special day. happy 27th, buddy!! have a good one! :) who know where you'll be the next time you have a birthday... maybe even home! :) ... and on your way to the southern hemisphere. :P miss ya lots. xoxo.
Monday, January 05, 2004
do you believe in soulmates?
thanx for replying, everyone. :) interesting thoughts. mike, i dunno what pessimistic blog you're referring to cuz your blogs in general are rather pessimistic. :P
so here's the answer you've all been waiting for: i don't believe in soulmates.
i dunno if i ever really believed in them or just wished and hoped that they existed. but in my old age, i've become cynical and now i downright believe they don't exist. after reading the LL book, everything seems so random - the whole love thing and who you end up with. who you meet and fall in love with depends so much on circumstances and random events. according to the book, the "in love" euphoria feeling lasts an avg of 2 yrs. and then you pick up and move on to someone else. so i think that really, who you end up with in the long run depends on what stage of life you're at after that 2 yrs, whether you're ready and willing to commit to the relationship, or if you've had enough and prefer to move on and try something else. it's a choice you make based on your life situation. really, you could choose to love anyone. take arranged marriages for instance.
that being said, i guess that doesn't really refute the existence of soulmates. i mean, even though the majority of ppl in the world might not marry their "soulmate", soulmates could still meet and marry in rare cases. or as justin pointed out, your soulmate could be someone of the same gender and therefore simply your best friend.
so with my answer on the table, does anyone else have other opinions? or what i'd be interested in knowing - has anyone found someone whom they believe to be their soulmate?
Friday, January 02, 2004
urbana's over and everyone's home again, but i've been watching the webcasts!! check it out if you weren't there!
btw, we have butter cookies to give away... who wants a tin? :P who knew they were loved by so many ppl!
the cpc university, college & career fellowship is having our leadership committee retreat tmr at my house. i'm gonna do the grocery shopping and remaining logistical prep for it today... or what's left of today. :P pls pray for us! we're retreating from 10 am - 10:30 pm. yes, i know. :O but there's so much we wanna accomplish in such a short time - vision & strategy discussion, spiritual gifts discussion, divide into roles, leadership development talk by peter on growing ourselves as leaders and apprenticeship, guidance/feedback from sid our point elder, and then planning for the yr to come. it'll be a fruitful time!
Thursday, January 01, 2004
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
